Retirement village arson random - police

A woman who escaped a deliberately-lit fire at her Christchurch retirement village unit appears to be the victim of a random attack, say police.

The woman, aged in her 60s, was asleep in her Brougham Village unit when the fire broke out about 11 pm yesterday. She was awoken by her smoke detector, allowing her to get out of the unit uninjured, Detective Colin Baillie told NZPA.

Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire but the unit was partially destroyed and suffered major smoke and water damage.

Mr Baillie said the fire began inside, although there was no evidence of forced entry.

"What they've done is managed to light the fire inside from outside the house," he said.

It appeared the person had tried set fire to the inside of the house. It took hold of a curtain where they gained entry, he said.

Police did not believe the woman was a deliberate target.

"In some ways it makes it even more frightening, in that, at this stage, it would appear to be a random attack," Mr Baillie said.

"Someone who is going to do this has either been with other people, or will be talking to other people about what they did, it's the nature of the offending.

"Someone out there knows who did this and we'd like to talk to them before someone does get hurt, because we were within a whisker of it happening this time."

There was no doubt the smoke alarm had saved the woman's life, Mr Baillie said.

"She had to go past the seat of the fire to get out the only entry/exit to the unit itself. If she'd left it a moment longer then she wouldn't have got out."

Mr Baillie said the fire was not yet linked to any other similar incidents.

Anyone with information about the attack was asked to contact Christchurch South Police.

- NZPA